Tuesday, December 23, 2008

On January 8th, we will have an in-person discussion of the Twilight Series at the library, but we can start talking about it now! I'll print out all comments about the books and bring to the in-person discussion. We can also record the discussion and post it here as a podcast for those who can't make it to the library.For the online discussion, I want to break it down into four discussions, so that there are no spoilers for those who have not yet read some of the books in the series. So, add your comments below to talk about ---specifically---the first book in the series, Twilight. Today, I received a copy of a book calledA New Dawn, which is a collection of essays about the Twilight series by authors of other teen books. As I'm reading it, I'll add some ideas from their essays into our online discussion. It looks very interesting!

Our blog was featured on a site called Teen Libris a few weeks ago. This is a website that you should seriously check out if you love teen books. Teen Libris, "your link to teen lit", has reading suggestions, reviews, a forum, and interviews with authors of YA fiction. It's a great place to get ideas for more books to read!

A blog created by local librarian Deb Noggle has been generating hits from around the world.Noggle, acting manager of the Allen County Public Library's Tecumseh Branch on East State Boulevard, recently began the Bella's Book Club blog, which is about the "Twilight" vampire books, the library said in an announcement.Looks like our blog is newsworthy. The following article was printed in the Features section of the December 22 Fort Wayne News-Sentinel:

Bella's Book Club (http://bellabookclub.blogspot.) has now surpassed 3,000 hits and has received visitors from 24 countries, the announcement said. Recently BabelFish translator was added so that the blog can be read in 12 languages. In addition, a ClusterMap was added so that visitors can see red dots on a map of the world for each hit.

"This is a great learning experience for the teens, and I tell them that their opinions matter, and that when they comment, they are being heard all over the world!" Noggle said in the release. "That really means something to them."

Summit Entertainment has announced plans to get “Twilight” sequel “New Moon” in theaters on Nov. 20th, 2009, with Chris Weitz signed to replace Catherine Hardwicke in the director’s chair.

Variety reports the studio is hoping the November release will help “New Moon” reap the same Thanksgiving success that “Twilight” enjoyed – which is a formula Warner Bros. had followed with its “Harry Potter” films before shifting the franchise to a summer release.

“New Moon” is the next installment in Stephenie Meyer's bestselling "Twilight" series – which features four novels. “Twilight” is still heating up the box office and has earned an estimated $150 million domestically in just four weeks.

MTV News reports : MTV News can confirm that 26-year-old "Scorpion King 2" actor Michael Copon [pronounced "COPE-on"] is one of several actors Weitz is considering to play the new, larger Jacob Black. A representative for Copon told us that they're making a full effort to land the high-profile gig. And in a bit of 21st-century self-publicity, the actor has even recently updated his Facebook status with messages like: "Michael Copon [is] in a Twilight Zone!" and "Michael Copon is the older Jacob Black!"

Copon's representative confirmed to MTV News that the Facebook page is run by the actor himself and that those are indeed his words.

Approached for comment on Lautner's omission from the "New Moon" press release, Summit confirmed that it was not a typographical error. "The casting decision in regards to the character Jacob Black has yet to be made," a representative told MTV News.

But even once Copon (or whoever else) is officially announced as the new Jacob, Weitz still has many other key casting decisions to make and an extremely brief amount of time in which to make them. With barely 12 weeks until cameras are due to begin rolling, the "Golden Compass" filmmaker needs to find faces to portray several key characters — including the peace-keeping, Italian vampires known as the Volturi.

With the buzz building for these roles, MTV News has confirmed that 27-year-old "Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" heartthrob Ben Barnes is throwing his hat into the ring. The actor is already quite popular with the "Twilight" fanbase and shares the same manager as both Copon and "Twilight" star Cam Gigandet. Barnes is believed to be campaigning for the role of Aro, a mind-reading vampire whose "New Moon" encounter with Edward and Bella helps shape their destiny together.

So, Bella friends, what do you think about that?I know I have my opinions...

Monday, December 15, 2008

Rumors are abuzz about replacing Taylor Lautner as Jacob, and other actors being considered for the part. In Summit Entertainment’s press release on Saturday, which included the official synopsis of the movie, Stewart and Pattinson’s names appear in the synopsis after their characters, but Taylor Lautner’s does not. This looks bad for 16-year-old Lautner, who some consider too young-looking to play the updated, more powerful Jacob that we see in New Moon.

Summit Entertainment has announced that the director for New Moon will be Chris Weitz, who directed the big-budget film, 'The Golden Compass'. Those who saw Compass will remember the amazing special effects. Weitz said:

“I am honored to have been entrusted with shepherding ‘New Moon’ from the page to the screen,” Weitz said in a statement released today, discussing his involvement with Stephenie Meyer’s second novel. “The extraordinary world that Stephenie has created has millions of fans, and it will be my duty to protect on their behalf the characters, themes and story they love. This is not a task to be taken lightly, and I will put every effort into realizing a beautiful film to stand alongside a beautiful book.”

The Summit press release added: “Weitz, an Academy Award-nominated writer, director and producer, has a proven track record working with a broad range of material dealing with youth-oriented characters, fantasy and action. As such, he has the potential to bring alive in ‘New Moon’ the dimensions and depth that fans will demand in the next installment.”

The release also offered, for the first time, the studio’s official synopsis for the sequel: “In ‘New Moon,’ Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested. Production on ‘New Moon’ is scheduled to begin in the coming months and the studio is planning to release the film towards the end of 2009 or early 2010.”

Thursday, December 11, 2008

From the "Hmmm...interesting" files, AceShowbiz.com reported this:Movie heartthrob Robert Pattinson openly reveals that he'd been forced to fix his teeth before starring in the box office hit "Twilight". According to him, producers of the action-thriller-romance flick were unimpressed with his smile and thus asked him to have some major dental work before shooting was begun.

"They wanted me to have the perfect smile. I never thought anything was wrong with my teeth," Robert said. "But the producers still wanted me to wear a brace."

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Just a week after the 'Twilight' director discussed her ideas for directing the sequel, 'New Moon', Catherine Hardwicke regretfully declines the job. According to a Deadline Hollywood article, it was Summit Entertainment's decision, not Hardwicke's.Here's the official press release:Los Angeles, CA, December 7, 2008 – Summit Entertainment and director Catherine Hardwicke jointly announced today that the filmmaker will not be directing the next installment in the newly minted TWILIGHT film franchise. Summit’s targeted end of 2009 or early 2010 release of the film, NEW MOON, does not work with Ms. Hardwicke’s required prep time to bring her vision of the film to the big screen. Thus as has been done before with many successful film franchises, the studio will employ a new director for NEW MOON.

"I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct NEW MOON,” said Hardwicke. “Directing TWILIGHT has been one of the great experiences of my life, and I am grateful to the fans for their passionate support of the film. I wish everyone at Summit the best with the sequel-- it is a great story."

Friday, December 5, 2008

L.J. Smith, author of one of Bella’s favorite series, The Vampire Diaries, has also written a 9-book series called Night World. The first three books are bound together in a new volume called Night World #1. The books in this volume are Secret Vampire, Daughters of Darkness, and Spellbinder.

Here’s the gift: From now until December 21st, you can download Secret Vampire from Simon & Schuster for FREE! You will be directly taken to a PDF of the book. Click here to download Secret Vampire.

It looks like it can be printed out and savored!

Thanks Simon & Schuster, and thank you to L.J. Smith for your great vamp books!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Dark Reunion, the fourth book in the Vampire Diaries series takes the story to a whole new level! Just when you thought it was all over, worse things hit the little town of Fell's Church, and now the kids are left alone without even one friendly vampire to help them out! Thankfully, Elena is there to help them in spirit, but will that be enough?

What did you think of this ending to the series?Bonnie predicts that "nothing is as it seems". Did you notice how the characters grow and change in this book? Which characters did you think changed the most?What does the title, "Dark Reunion" refer to?Were you satisfied with the ending?

Comment below, and we'll get a discussion going! Note: The in-person discussion is at the Tecumseh Branch this Thursday, at 3:30! Everyone is welcome to attend!

Grudge Match: Edward vs. Jacob ('Twilight')We compare two pop-culture subjects to see which you like better. This week's match:EDWARD vs. JACOB ("Twilight")In "Twilight," we have Edward, a vampire, and Jacob, a werewolf. Eddie is all about the beautiful Bella, and, well, Jacob doesn't think she's half bad either. So get out your fangs and claws, people. We have sides to pick.

THE GOODEd: He likes to neck. (Get it? He's a vampire.)Jacob: You can curl up to him to get warm on a cold winter's night.THE BADEd: He's old enough to be Bella's grandpa.Jacob: Many of his ex-girlfriends report he purrs a lot when he's sleeping.THE UGLYEd: He has that whole "likes-to- drink-blood" thing going on.Jacob: He might shed all over your parents' furniture.IF BELLA CHOSE HIM ...Ed: Sure, she's found her soul mate in Edward, but he's got a lot of undead issues.

Can you think of any other points of interest? Comment below, and let's keep this grudge match going!

Bella's Videos

Bella's Book Club: About Us

Bella's Book Club is a real book club at the Allen County Public Library, Tecumseh Branch, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. For more information, call 421-1360, or contact the Bella's Book Club librarian, Deb Noggle, by e-mail at dnoggle@acpl.info.

FTC Notice:

Librarians at the Allen County Public Library sometime receive Advance Reading Copies and other free books from a variety of publishers. After reading, some of these books find their way onto this blog before being added to the permanent Library collection or given as gifts to the participants in our book programs.

The Tecumseh Branch Library is a branch of the Allen County Public Library system in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We are a not-for-profit institution.